ART. V. Glossaire de la Langue Romane, &c.; i. e. A Glossary of the Romanse Language; collected from the MSS. of the Imperial Library, and from the most complete printed Works on the Subject: containing the Etymology and Signification of Words used in the XIth-XVIth Centuries, with numerous Examples from the same Sources, and a Discourse on the Origin, Progress, and Variations of the French Language. For the Use of those who wish to consult or to obtain a Knowlege of the early French Authors. By J. B. B. ROQUEFORT. 2 large Vols. 8vo. Paris. Imported by Payne and Foss. ITH the conquests of the Romans, the Latin language overspred Lombardy, Gaul, and Spain. In each of the seventeen provinces of Gaul, a school was founded for its speedier propagation; and it became the official tongue in the tribunals of law and the temples of religion. Still the common people did not acquire the Latin with grammatical nicety they learned the words without all their inflections, and gradually adopted a rustic dialect; which in Gaul was called Romanse to distinguish it from their native Celtic, and which at Rome was called Provincial, or Provençal, to distinguish it from the pure Latin of the educated classes. No very early attempts were made to reduce this rustic Latin to writing. The letters which Saint Jerom wrote to the Gallic ladies Hedibia and Algasia were in Latin; and so were those of Saint Hilary of Poitiers to his daughter, those of Sulpicius Severus to his mother-in-law, and those of Saint Avisus to his sister. Sidonius Apollinaris, speaking of the authors who were perused by ladies in his time, mentions the works of Saint Augustin, of Prudentius, and of Varro: in other words, books of piety and of grammar. It was not until the fifth century, when the invasion of Attila detached various provinces of Gaul from their habitual dependence on the Roman empire, that a tendency was visible to employ the local patois, instead of the school-Latin of the courts. The clergy endeavoured to maintain the ascendancy of the written over the oral dialect: in the sixth century, Saint Cesaire of Arles composed exhortations, and Fortunatus wrote poems, in Latin; and the Life and Correspondence of Queen Radegonde with the council assembled in 566 subsists in Latin: -but the council held at Auxerre in 528 had occasion to forbid the use of vernacular hymns in the churches; and Gregory of Tours, in 552, complains that a philosophic preacher (that is, a schooled Latinist,) was neglected, and a rustic preacher was much sought *. At length, the councils multi." Philosophantem rhetorem intelligunt pauci, loquentem rusticum of of Rheims and of Tours were obliged to give way; and, in the following century, to promulgate a decree to this effect: "Ut easdem Homilias quisque aperte transferre studeat in rusticam Romanam linguam." This translation of the book of Homilies into the Romanse, or rustic dialect, may be considered as the registry of the birth of that language of which the present author has here compiled a Glossary. Under Charlemagne, the schools of the clergy were put on a more respectable footing; and an effort was made, which indicates the progress of learning, to restore the use of classical Latin: but these attempts served only to draw the line distinctly between the language of the learned and the language of the people. The Latin was henceforth destined to be peculiar to the Clerc, and the Romanse to the layman. One of the oldest and most interesting original muniments extant in romanse is the oath, which Charles the Bald, and his brother Louis the German, took together at Strasburg in March 842. An engraved fac-simile is here given of this curious manuscript. We transcribe the words: • Cùmque Karolus hæc eadem romana Lingua perorasset, Lodhuvicus quoniam major natu erat, prior hæc deinde se servaturum testatus est. • Serment de Louis, Roi de Germanie. • Pro Deo amur, et pro Christian poplo, et nostro commun salvament, dist di en avant, in quant Deus savir et podir me dunat, si salvara jeo cist meon Fradre Karlo, et in adjudha, et in cadhuna cosa, si cum om per dreit son fradra salvar dist, in o quid il mi altre si fazet, et ab Ludher nul plaid numquam prindrai, qui meon_vol_cist meon Fradre Karle in damno sit. Quod cùm Ludhuvicus explesset, Karolus teudisca lingua, sic hac eadem verba testatus est. 1 • Serment de Charles-le-Chauve. • In Godes minna induethes (indintbes) Christianes folches ind unser bedhero gealt nissi (jussi) fon (son) thesenioda ge frammor desso fram so mir Got geuviz ci (ei) indi madh furgibit so bald ihtes an minan bruodher soso manmit rehtu sinan bruher scal inthi (juthi) utha zermigsoso (soson) maduo, in dimit lueren in nothe in uit bing nege ganga (gango) zheminam vuillon imo ces cadben vuerhen. Le même Serment en langue Latine, suivant Bonamy. • Pro Dei amore, et pro Christiano poplo et nostro communi salvamento, de ista die in abante, in quantum Deus sapere et potere mi donat, si salvaro ego eccistum meum Fratrem Karlum, et in adjutum ero in quáque una causa, sic quomodo homo per directum suum fratrem salvare debet, in hoc quid ille mî alterum sic faceret, et ab Lothario nullum 114 placitum placitum nunquam prendero quod meo volle eccisti meo Fratri Karlo in damno sit. • Traduction. Pour l'amour de Dieu et pour le peuple Chrétien, et notre commun salut, de ce jour en avant (à compter de ce jour), autant que Dieu m'en donne le savoir et le pouvoir, je défendrai mon Frère Charles, ici présent, et je l'aiderai en toute chose, ainsi qu'un homme, par droit et justice, doit défendre son frère, en tout ce qu'il feroit de la même manière pour moi; et je ne ferai jamais avec Lothaire aucun accord qui, par ma volonté, porteroit dommage à mon Frère Charles, que voici. • Sacramentum autem quod utrocumque populus quique propria lingua testatus est, Romana lingua sie (sic) se habet. Serment des Seigneurs François, et sujets de Charles-le-Chauve. Si Lodhuvigs sagrament que son Fradre Karlo jurat, conservat, et Karlus meos sendra de suo part non lo stanit, si jo returnar non lint pois, ne jo, ne neuls cui eo returnar int pois in nulla adjudha contrà Loduwig nun li juer. • Teudisca autem lingua. • S.rment des Seigneurs et sujets de Louis-le-Germanique. Oba Karl then eid, then er sine no brucdber Hidhuunige (Ludhuwige gesuor, geleistit, indi (ind) Ludhuwig in herro, then er imo gesuur, forbribebit, oli hina nes iruvendenne mag' noh ib, nob thero, noh hein thenibes iruvenden mag vuidhar Karle imo ce folus tine, vuirdhit. Le même Serment en langue Latine, suivant Bonamy. Si Ludovicus sacramentum quod suus Frater Karlus jurat conservat, et Karlus meus Senior de suâ parte non illud teneret, si ego retornare non illum inde possum, nec ego, nec nullus quem ego retornare inde possum, in nullo adjuto contra Ludovicum non illi fuero. • Traduction. • Si Louis observe le serment que son Frère Charles lui jure, et que Charles mon Seigneur, de son côté, ne le tint point, si je ne puis détourner Charles de cette violation, ni moi, ni aucuns que je puis détourner, ne serons en aide à Charles contre Louis. 6 Quibus per actis Lodhuwicus Reno tenus Spiram et Karolus justa Wasagum per Puizzunburg Warmaciam iter direxit. Bonamy (Mémoires de l'Acad. des Inscrip. tom. 26. pag. 640.) donne la traduction de ce serment en langue Romane du XIIe siècle; je la transcris seulement avec quelques légères corrections que j'ai crues nécessaires. • Por Dex amor, et por Christian pople et nostre commun salvament, de cest jor in avant en kant Deus saveir et pooir me done, si salverai jeo cist meon Frere Karle, et en adjudhe seroi en cascune cose si cum um per dreit sun freire salver dist en o ki il me aliresi faset, et à Lothaire nul plaid n'onques prindrai qui par mon voil à cist moun Frere Karle en damn seit. • Se Se Loois lo sagrament ke sun Frere Karle jure, cunserve, et Karles meon Senhor de sue part non lo tenist, se geo no l'en pois, ne jeo, ne nulz ki jeo retorner en pois, en nul adjudhe Loois nun li serai. This document sufficiently proves how entirely and exclusively the Romanse or vernacular language of southern Gaul has grown out of the Latin. Scarcely any words called Celtic, and supposed to be native among the Armorican tribes, occur in it; and, though the translation of the same. document made in the twelfth century approaches much nearer to modern French, yet the change is altogether a corruption from within, not an alteration from without, effected by the intrusion of foreign words. It is curious to observe the Latin ego, in which word the g was probably pronounced with a hard aspiration, first written with a Spanish jota, jo; then with a softer aspirate, geo; and at last dwindling into the French je. The egotism of the savage, so honestly emphatic at first, gradually slides into the almost inaudible. breathing with which civilization indicates the insignificance of self. In 995, Aymon the Bishop of Verdun, opened a council held at Mouson sur Meuse, in the vulgar tongue, or Romanse: and a translation of the body of Saint Thibaud was recorded in the same dialect in 1078. The song of Roland, which the Norman soldiers sang at the battle of Hastings, proves the Romanse language to have been the practical medium of intercourse throughout France. In the twelfth century a great use was made of the vulgar tongue, for the different purposes of solemn oratory and of amusing literature. Saint Bernard travelled to preach in it, and was every where admired. Abeillard wrote some lovesongs in Provençal. The poem of Marbode was versified anew. Robert Grosse-tête composed Le Roman des Romans. In 1155 Le Roman du Brut, and in 1165 Le Roman du Rou, made their appearance. La Conquête d'Outremer, and Guillaume au Court-Nez, speedily followed. This mass of literature, to which many books of piety might be added, marks the establishment of the vernacular language as the organ of public instruction. Schools were at this time multiplied, and the fashion of attending them was diffused. The result was an epidemic taste for poetry. Works of theology and science, sacred and profane history, legends and romances, every thing was put into rhime; even the Rules of the Benedictines, and the Customs of Normandy. Thibaut, King of Navarre, first intermixed, in an orderly manner, masculine and feminine (single and double) rhimes. Monseigneur Gace Brulez, Monseigneur Thibaut Thibaut de Blazon, the Castellans of Couci and of Arras, the Count of Anjou, the Duke of Brabant, and the Vidam of Chartres, were numbered among the most agreeable authors of quality in the thirteenth century. In the reign of Saint Louis, especially, a taste for romantic poetry made a great progress: but such was the ignorance of the writing class, that, in the illuminated ornaments of a manuscript-poem, concerning Alexander, he is represented in a surcoat, his followers are bishops and barons, and his palace is a moated castle with towers at the corners; and this in strict conformity to the description of the text. In another manuscript, in which the death and funeral of Julius Cæsar are delineated, his body is preceded by a crucifix, and by holy water; and a procession of monks follows him to the grave. Among the writers who most surpass the general ignorance of the times, are to be noticed Ville-Hardouin, Guillaume Guiart, Guillaume de Nangis, and Joinville: the latter, especially, has a plain and attractive style. Having been present at the events which he describes, he paints them with a nakedness of nature which is alike diverting and instructive, and of which modern history has lost the knack. All considerable libraries, which contain manuscripts of the fourteenth century, afford tragedies in Latin rhime: they were represented by the monks in the chapels of their convents. Du Boulay refers the tragedy of Saint Catharine to the year 1146. In a tragedy composed under the first Henry of France, Virgil accompanies the prophets to adore Christ at his Nativity, and joins with them in the choral benedicamus which finishes the play. Richard I. of England attracted to his court many French poets, and story-tellers; who were in his time throughout Europe so fashionable, that Muratori mentions in his Annals a regulation of the magistrates of Bologna, made in 1228, which forbids the French singers to hold forth in public squares. The University of Paris, adorned with many privileges by Philip Augustus, received others from Saint Louis: the number of colleges was augmented; and the King's confessor, Robert of Sorbonne, endowed that college, which has since become so celebrated under his name. Virgil and Ovid were read and quoted by all. Medicine revived, Medicine revived, and Hippocrates was ex plored. Among the more conspicuous writers of the 14th century, are Eustace Deschamps and Guillaume de Machault: but pedantry was now acquiring fashion. The superficial zeal, which had inspired so many triflers of the last age, began to be despised; and the mincing poetry of the galant, or the endless tale of the ballad |